NRW ‘failed to protect wild valley’
THE public body responsible for protecting Wales’ beautiful spaces has failed both wildlife and the environment, say residents living close to a recently established bird shoot.
People in the Dyfi Valley in mid Wales say Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has failed to investigate properly the “devastating” impact a commercial game bird shoot is having on a local beauty spot and two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
They say they are “appalled” at the damage being done to the area, which was once known for its tranquillity, since the Dyfi Falls Shoot set up business in October last year.
Local resident Sarah Reisz said: “We are appalled at the damage throughout the main body of the valley, with ugly tracks gouged out of the slopes and long stretches of electric fencing and drainage pipes. There are now feeding pens and other shooting detritus all around on the lower slopes and by the river, both adjacent to and below the SSSI. The footpath has been bulldozed into a wide and ugly vehicle track, with trees and scrub removed. The peace and tranquillity of this beautiful wild valley has been destroyed.”
Some 40,000 non-native pheasants and 7,000 partridges have been released by the shoot operators into the valley.
Tracks have been laid across the land to provide access to the vehicles of shooting parties and staff.
Ms Reisz and other local residents reported their concerns to NRW late last year, but say the problems caused by the shoot remain unresolved.
She added: “It’s deeply disappointing that NRW is failing to carry out even the most basic monitoring or protection.”
Walkers using the footpath crossing the land say they have been traumatised by shooters firing over their heads and game birds raining down on them.
Ms Reisz said: “We saw men with what appeared to be guns taking up positions on the other side of the river facing towards us and began to be alarmed. We turned back along the footpath, only to be greeted by a barrage of shockingly loud gunfire directed over the river in our direction – at the same time as dogs and men began running literally all around us collecting the dead and fallen birds nearby.
“We, and our elderly dog, were shocked, deafened and appalled. It was a highly traumatic experience.”
Bethan Collins, senior public affairs officer for Wales at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The mass release of non-native bird species into countryside at such a high density next to an SSSI is likely to have an adverse effect on the native species of wildlife living there. Game bird shooting is an inherently cruel sport using living animals merely for target practice, but it is also becoming increasingly apparent that it is damaging the environment and the Welsh countryside. NRW should ensure the SSSI gets the protection it deserves.”
Carol Fielding, Ceredigion environment team leader for NRW said: “As the legislation currently stands, we are limited to only being able to investigate and influence actions that take place within the SSSIs themselves. The overwhelming majority of the work to support the pheasant shoot, such as track construction and release of pheasants, have been done outside the SSSI, and are therefore matters for Powys and Ceredigion county councils to consider.
“In previous discussion with Dyfi Falls Shoot, we noted that pheasants released outside the SSSI were on the site and that there were some feeders on the SSSI itself. We informed the site manager that the feeders needed to be moved and this was completed.
“We will continue to monitor the impact of the shoot on the SSSI, and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action if works are undertaken on the SSSI without consent.”
We sought comment from Dyfi Falls Shoot but received no response.